Complications: Haines City Man Beset With Medical Problems

Derrick Ingram hasn't felt 100 percent since he was 9, some 15 years ago. Back then, a diagnosis of high blood pressure barely slowed him down. He took his medication at his mother's urging.

By ERIC PERATHE LEDGER

HAINES CITY | Derrick Ingram hasn't felt 100 percent since he was 9, some 15 years ago. Back then, a diagnosis of high blood pressure barely slowed him down. He took his medication at his mother's urging.

But things changed. At 17, Ingram left home to live with a girl. He worked two jobs, he said, but rarely took his medicine. Youth was on his side, and he somehow stayed healthy enough to get by.

Still, the years of going without proper medication and access to affordable health care have taken a toll. Ingram suffers permanent kidney damage, which has in recent years snowballed into other problems.

The young, single father of two has had three heart attacks in the past 1½ years and numerous other health issues that have caused him to miss weeks of work. Behind on rent and electricity bills, Ingram, through the intervention of relatives, reached out to The Ledger's Newspaper with a Heart program for help.

The program, which is in its 44th year of assisting Polk County residents in crisis, provides temporary assistance with rent, utilities and other essential needs. The Ledger and its partners, United Way of Central Florida, CPS Investment Advisors and SunTrust, cover all administrative costs so that 100 percent of donations go to services.

Through the efforts of Wanke Hampton, a Social Security consultant who sits on the Newspaper with a Heart committee, Ingram is attempting to improve his chances of receiving disability benefits.

It was Hampton who helped Ingram's mother, Lisa Smith, end years of haggling with the Social Security Administration over obtaining disability benefits for herself. Smith of Kissimmee has cerebral palsy and says she's unable to work.

She's optimistic of her son's chances of obtaining temporary government assistance until he's back on his feet and able to return to his job as a cook at Beef ‘O'Brady's.

"I have a lot of faith in the good Lord, and I said, ‘Son, you have to trust God. You pray about it, and let God handle it,'?" Smith said. "But I think I've got a few extra gray hairs just worrying about it."

Ingram's first heart attack was June 22, 2011. He was treated on an emergency basis at Heart of Florida Regional Medical Center in Davenport. "They gave me some medicine and sent me home," he said.

Lacking medical insurance, Ingram said, he had only cursory follow-up medical evaluations in the aftermath of his first attack. He said his only option was to use the hospital's emergency room on an as-needed basis, much as he had for years of living on his own.

A reliance on emergency rooms to treat high blood pressure taught him to use that card sparingly, he said, because hospitals keep such patients days for observation, and that causes missed work time.

Such thoughts kept him from seeking medical attention for months following his June attack.

"I have to have a certain amount of (work) hours to take care of myself and my kids," Ingram said. "I can't afford to miss too much work. That's the truth."

Ingram's two children, ages 6 months and 2, live with their mother, but he said he assists with expenses as often as he can, which hasn't been much lately, as he's missed so much work.

Heart attack No. 2 hit Oct. 1. Again the symptoms were mild, he said, accompanied by severe stomach pain. Discharged Oct. 6, he went back to work.

The stomach pain returned Nov. 15, driving him back to the ER. Four days later, he was discharged, only to return again Nov. 23, this time with stomach pain and an intense headache.

After a four more days in the Davenport hospital, Ingram attempted to go back to work, but he said his employer refused to let him back without a doctor's OK, which he couldn't get. So he was forced to stay at home.

Ingram said he suffered his third heart attack Dec. 2 and made his way this time to Florida Hospital Celebration Health. From there, he was flown to Orlando Regional Medical Center, where he had a battery of tests before being sent home Dec. 13.

On Dec. 22, he was back at Celebration Health with severe stomach pain and blood pressure that was, in his words, "off the charts."

This time, doctors discovered what may have been causing his distress: Ingram said his gall bladder was so enlarged it had to come out. The surgery was Dec. 26 or 27, he doesn't quite remember which. And he was home by Dec. 30.

He's not out of the woods. Ingram said his kidneys are so damaged he may require dialysis soon. With his mother's help, he finally was approved for Medicaid, so he now has access to ongoing medical care.

"I have $300 in my pocket," he said. "I've been trying to make it last, but diapers are real expensive. I'm just living day to day."

[ Eric Pera can be reached at eric.pera@theledger.com or 863-802-7528. ]

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